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Lactobacillus salivarius

General information

the following information is not yet verifiedLactobacillus species produce lactic acid as their single or major metabolic end product from glucose fermentation

Taxonomy Family: Lactobacillaceae

Natural habitats They are widely distributed in the environment They belong to the normal flora of the intestine, urogenital tract and mouth.

Clinical significance Despite the reputation of lactobacilli as beneficial organisms, they can be involved in serious infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals.

Lactobacilli are particularly associated with advanced dental caries, where they are considered a secondary colonizer because of their preference for low-pH habitats, but probaply play a role in exacerbating existing lesions.

The clinical infections most commonly caused by lactobacilli are bacteremia and endocarditis, with an associated relatively high mortality rate, with the mouth, the primary route of entry to the bloodstream.

Gram stain

the following information is not yet verified
Gram positive rods,

0.6-0.9 x 1.5-5.0 µm,

with rounded ends, occurring singly, in pairs, and in chains.

Culture characteristics

the following information is not yet verified

Facultative anaerobic

5% CO2 stimulates growth

They are small, convex, opaque colonies without pigment with sometimes a greening zone (morphology of a greening streptococcus) or aging of the medium

L. salivarius Colonies are convex, opaque and a greening zone (morphology of a greening streptococcus) or aging of the medium